pd2006-columns

H’okay gang, it’s an all new year and CNW is starting things with a bang!

First and foremost is our yearly elections. During our next meeting ON
JAN 21st we will be holding elections for CNW president. I AM running
again and I’ve been asked “WHY for God’s sake?!” so I’ll tell you all
honestly. I’ve been in charge for 2 terms now and it’s been educational
for me. My first year was really a joke as I didn’t know what I was
doing and barely got things done. My second year was better as I got
the swing of things and helped bring some real success to our group. I
honestly feel that I’ve some strong wind in my sails now and want one
more chance to prove that to you all. I’ve some grand ideas for CNW and
all of us and think, if given the chance, I can take us far in 2006.
That’s why I’m running again and hope that I’ll get your vote.

But you don’t HAVE TO vote for me. I haven’t heard any other candidates
come forward yet but they may still. OR you can come to the next
meeting and nominate someone for the job if you’d like. Should there be
more than me interested in the gig we’ll have a vote via ballot to
determine who gets the gig. So don’t miss your chance to take part in
our yearly ritual of hot potato and cast your vote for whom you’d like
to see running the show for the next year.

NEXT we all have to be aware that the TOONIE AWARDS are coming up fast!
There is not a lot of time to get things ready and that means that we
need your input AND YOUR VOTES ASAP!! Send your votes in via email to
myself or Scott Ball or get them to us at the meeting on the 21st.
Information about who you’re voting for and how to do it can be found
elsewhere in this newsletter. I’ll also be posting the information on
the CNW Yahoo! Group, the CNW Forum, AND on the CNW website. That means
you can’t miss the info. If you have any questions though gimme a
holler and ask. I’ll do all I can to make things clear for you.

You sould also know that we’ve had to change things a bit this year do
to circumstance and you need all of the new info. This year the TOONIES
will be held on FEBRUARY 25th! Yeah. It had to be that way and that’s
why we have to move fast. Because the date changed it became necessary
to change the location as well. This year we’ll be holding the event at
the Yankee Grill in Ballard which is a great place and (if I remember
correctly) the original location for the TOONIES which kinda makes
things appropriate for this event. Here’s why.

See, something else I want to impress upon you all is that 2006 is a
big deal for everyone that’s a member, past or present, of CNW. Above
anything else 2006 marks the 25th year of CNW!! That’s right, it’s our
SILVER ANNIVERSARY and that’s something that we should ALL be making a
big deal about. Not only that, but this year also marks the 15th annual
TOONIE AWARDS! For the record that is represented by either crystal or
watches. How fun would that be? Decorate the place with a bunch of
clocks and watches? Wow. Anyway, you should think about this for a sec.
25 years of CNW and 15 years of the TOONIES and we’re celebrating BOTH
on the very same night! I don’t know about the rest of you but I see
this as a very important thing and feel that you should as well. We’re
going to try to take this one over the top and it’s something that
you’d be a fool to miss!

This is
a real big time for us all and
the next few months are going
to see some big deal events
for our organization. Seriously.
It’s all going to work but it’ll
work best if we all do our part
to pitch in. There’s a lot that
needs to be done so if you want
to help in any way contact myself
or Scott Ball. At the very least
make sure you get your votes
in and come to the Toonies this
year. Even if that’s all you
do you’ll be helping us more
than you know. So hop to it,
get inspired, get involved,
and get back to us in any way
that you can. And thanks in
advance for helping. This is
going to be an awesome year!!

Not just
toons, ScotttoonS! Visit ScotttoonS.com
to see the work of Scott Alan,
performer and freelance cartoonist.

by
Scott Alan

February 2006

To all of my loyal subjects in the noble land of CNW I present this much greeting.

HA!

That's
right baby, I'm in again! By
an overwhelming landslide and
underwhelming enthusiasm by
our membership (I'm teasing)
I've been elected into office
again. Three times in a row
president of CNW. Is that unheard
of? I don't know but it's cool
for me. Why, it's almost like
we're becoming a monarchy! At
least that's a joke that's been
passed around with some of you.
I don't mind really. King Scott
the first sounds pretty good
to me. Does wonders for my already
inflated ego too. Of course
you won't have to call me King
Scott. Just Scott will do. Or
Mr. Prez. OR Dork. Or hey you!
or any other thing you call
me behind my back already. I
don't mind 'cause I'm just happy
to be here. You should be happy
too 'cause I've got a lot of
plans for CNW that I think are
going to be great for everyone.

Before
I get into that though I need
to dispense of some formalities.
SO, for the official record,
let me announce the new CNW
cabinet for 2006! It's the same
CNW cabinet as it was in 2005!
WOW!! Nobody
wants to quit their position
in the club which pleases me
'cause I like where everyone
is and want to have them there.
I really believe in "if it's
not broke don't fix it" and
I'm applying that theory to
the CNW figure heads. As such
it breaks down like this: Scott
A. is still prez. Scott B. is
still VP. Liriel M. is still
the treasurer. and Georgia B.
is still our web goddess and
online guru. There MAY be some
openings and some NEW titles
available but I'll let you know
once that's decided on.

On to other
things. By the time most of
you get Penstuff it's only going
to be about (give or take) one
week until the Toonies! Let
me say this again for those
that may have missed it or forgotten.
It's CNW's 25th year!
Our Silver Anniversary!
This is a BIG deal! I know that
a lot of you know that 'cause
I've heard the buzz going around.
I'm not in a position to give
out too many details 'cause
not everything is a done deal
yet but let me assure you all
that this is going to be one
hell of a show! Old friends
will be there. New friends will
be made. We're hoping to see
some great talent. We're looking
to display a history of CNW
for all to see ... not to mention
the usual fun of the silent
auction (with some great stuff
this year), the clay contest,
our fantastic guest speaker
(the one and only Peter
Bagge) whom you simply can't
miss, and the always festive
and highly clouted awards presentation!
All of this marking 25 years
of CNW AND 15 years of the Toonie
Awards on the very same night!
You simply owe it to yourself
to be there. Don't miss this
one! Details: Saturday February
25th 2006 at 6pm for the Toonie
Award Banquet at the Yankee
Grill in Ballard. Contact CartoonistsNW@aol.com
for further information.

NOW, for
those of you wondering what
I mean when I say I've got a
lot of plans for CNW ... you're
going to have to wait a bit
longer to find out! HA! I will
tell you this much. Your elected
CNW cabinet has been meeting
and planning to the point that
I feel a few small changes are
going to make a big difference
for this organization. I'd tell
you more but I don't want to
crunch all the space Dick has
provided me for this column
so I'm going to stop here. I
realize that doesn't mean much
to those of you reading this
online but I'm stopping here
all the same. FOR NOW!
Look to this article again next
month for more information about
the future of CNW and how my
third term as president will
(hopefully) lead to many bigger
and better things for everyone.

The future
is bright my
loyal subjects so prepare to
wear your shades!

Not just
toons, ScotttoonS! Visit ScotttoonS.com
to see the work of Scott Alan,
performer and freelance cartoonist.

by
Scott Alan

April 2006

WHooooooo!
What a whirlwind these last two weeks have been! Personally I've been
working my magic and busting my tail to get everything I needed to do
for my own personal presence at Emerald City ComiCon done on time.
That's why I'm so very very VERY grateful for the extraordinary help
that was given to me by Luke Martin and Stephen Prescott who valiantly
stepped forward like the knights of old to sit at the CNW table all
weekend telling everyone who passed by how great our group is. That
saved me a lot of extra leg work and stress and I simply can't thank
you two enough. Great great job guys!

Speaking
of CNW matters, I hope you didn't miss the great meeting we had before
the con. The great folks at RandomPirateComics.com stopped in to show
off what they had and tell us all about what they do. This was fun!
They have a neato comic out called "Here there be Robots" which is all
about aliens landing to make peaceful contact with us in the 21st
century just as robots are about to take over the world. An explosion
ensues sending the entire lot of them back to the 1700's where they
must now find a way to survive as the pirates did. It's like a fun
wacky sitcom of the 1980's and is well worth the read. They also shared
their info about how they get stuff done for their books and the cons
and such like that. It was greatly informative and I really appreciate
them stopping in.

This
brings me to a topic for our group that I'm excited about. If I've
learned nothing else from this weekend it's that you can get some
amazing things done on a short time table if you've got the know how,
the cash, and the resources at hand. For example. Thanks to the info
shared by our last guest speakers I had many great one inch buttons
made in time for the show with only 2 weeks to get them done thanks to
Modbuttons.com. This was a great service that went over very well at
the con. It's great to have leads like that, eh? Knowing where to go
for stuff like that is invaluable to self publishing and promoting
folks like us. So that's what I want to get from all of you.

I
want to get a database set up for great leads, contacts, shops, and
services that we know of and have had success with. Part of the real
value of CNW is this sort of networking and sharing of information with
one another. I'll share mine if you share yours. Soon we'll have a
meeting about this so gather your notes and such about marketing
concepts, services, shops, printers, and so forth and bring that with
you to the next meeting or email that info right to me. We'll gather it
all together and share with everyone these hidden gems. It's going to
be so worth it for everyone so let's pool together and share the wealth!

Not just
toons, ScotttoonS! Visit ScotttoonS.com
to see the work of Scott Alan,
performer and freelance cartoonist

by
Scott Alan

August 2006

Two
months without talking to all of you is too long. I'm happy to be back.
As I sit down to write this months article on the eve of my big move
from one house to another I can't help but reflect on change. An old
saying goes "the more things change the more they stay the same" and
that's true on many levels. My life has changed dramatically in the
past 2 months alone and yet many things are as they ever were. A great
example is my move to a new home. My house my surroundings and even
lifestyle to some extent are changing in a substantial way but moving
still sucks no matter how many years go by.

I
can't help also to think of the changes taking place within CNW. In
this past year we've all changed to some level or another and have also
grown. I've seen the membership grow. I've seen the members themselves
grow. I've seen changes in everything from attitudes to art styles to
what we do as a group and how we do it. Within all of these changes
though I can't help but to notice that many things have indeed stayed
the same. Mainly our camaraderie as a group. We all are there for one
another in many ways. Friendships have been formed and casual
acquaintances have formed respect. Overall I know that no matter where
life takes me I can always count on CNW and its membership to be
there with open arms, an inviting atmosphere, and a creative outlook on
life. This is a reality of CNW and a strength within the group that
means more to me than I can put into words. I thank you all for that as
it's you who make that so. My life has kept me busy for some time now
and away from writing these monthly columns to you. Writing here again
makes me realize that in some ways I miss it. It's like talking to an
old friend again after years of separation or going to a family reunion
that you're actually looking forward too. It's also a warm and happy
feeling. I don't know how many of you actually read what I write here
but writing this for CNW brings me this good feeling and all of you are
CNW so I hope that you share that feeling with me in some way.

Meanwhile there are big CNW things to discuss. Most importantly is CAMP
KaNaW! (c'nw) That's right, CNW's own summer camp of sorts. We've been
planning a big group camping trip for some time now and are excited about
the response that we've received. Still, we're looking for more people to
come and have a good time. If you're interested in joining us we'll need
your confirmation no later than the next CNW meeting on August 19th. This is
going to be something that you'll not want to miss. We're planning many
wonderful and fun things to do including a Scavenger Hunt, Potluck Dinner,
Quickdraw Contest, Charades, Hiking, Swimming, Campfire with gourmet S'mores
and more. All in beautiful Sequim Bay on September 8-10.

This is really going to be a fantastic time away from it all with many
of your fellow CNW members. I mean, think of it, a big group of cartoonists
taking up campsite space in the woods for a weekend! If only for curiosity
or to just say "I saw it happen" you know you need to go. So drop us a line
if you want in. Let us know if you want to help. Or if you need help. Many
of us are pulling resources to make this all happen smoothly for everyone so
don't be shy about speaking up. We want you there! You want to be there! Get
in touch with us via the info below and look for the special insert with all
the current info in this very issue of Penstuff.

Many more great things are in the works for CNW. As always your
suggestions, comments, and participation is greatly appreciated. We are all
CNW and together we're at least a successful partnership if not a family.
We'll work for you as best we can if you let us know what you'd like from
us.